1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector and an electrical connector assembly, more particularly to an electrical connector and an electrical connector assembly having heat-radiating structures.
2. Description of Related Art
Electrical connectors are widely used today. In general, electrical connectors can be classified as desktop connectors, laptop connectors, mobile phone connectors, consuming connectors, and other types. Power connector is one common kind electrical connector used in different equipments. Usually, a plug-type power connector and a receptacle-type power connector mate with each other to supply power to equipments. Contacts of the plug and the receptacle contact one another to form electrical connection. However, because of impedance of conductors, that is contacts, heat is generated and is not easy to be radiated out of the connectors. If the heat cannot be radiated out of the connectors in time, the heat accumulated in the connectors may cause different problems. For example, contacting portions of the contacts may produce carbon, melt, and excessive deformation etc. The insulative housing also may produce deformation, melt etc. Such phenomenon all can produce influence to reliability of power transmission and use life of the power connectors. For ensuring stability of power supply, sometimes, customers use monitor equipments to monitor product temperature when the power connectors work. Under such sustaining heat, the monitor equipment is prone to being out of use.
Please refer to FIGS. 1-3, a conventional receptacle connector 1′ and a conventional plug connector 2′ are disclosed. The receptacle connector 1′ comprises an elongate first insulative housing 2′ and a plurality of first conductive contacts 3′ received in the first insulative housing 2′ and classified into three different sizes. The plug connector 2′ comprises an elongate second insulative housing 5′ and a plurality of second conductive contacts 6′ received in the second insulative housing 5′ and classified into three different sizes corresponding to the first conductive contacts 3′. Mating portions 61′ of the second conductive contacts 6 are exposed into a receiving space 50′ of the second insulative housing 5′ to form electrical connection with the first conductive contacts 3′. As illustrated in FIG. 3, when electrical connection is formed between the first and second conductive contacts 3′, 6′, heat is generated. However, there is no enough space between the mated first and second insulative housings 2′, 5′ for heat radiation, and the first and second conductive contacts 3′, 6′ are retained in the first and second insulative housings 2′, 5′ tightly. A lot of heat thus gets together in the first and second insulative housings 2′, 5′, all kinds of undesired phenomenon will occur to influence the reliability of power supply and use life of the connectors.
China Patent CN 2840359Y disclosed an electrical connector with improved structures for better heat radiation effect. An insulative housing of the electrical connector defines a pair of through holes at opposite ends thereof for heat radiation. However, only these two through holes cannot solve the problem mentioned above thoroughly. Hence, it is disable to design an electrical connector to address problems mentioned above.